What advice would today’s successful treasurers give to those just starting out in a treasury career? From learning about the business to finding a sponsor within the organisation, six experienced treasury professionals explain how treasury professionals can turbocharge their careers.
1. Learn about the business
“For those just beginning their corporate treasury careers, my advice would be to invest as much time in learning about the business and establishing relationships outside the finance function as acquiring the treasury technical skills. The less effective corporate treasury teams are those that sit in a corner of some outbuilding with little actual knowledge of what goes on in the business itself.
“A good question to always ask at the outset is, ‘how does the business I’m a part of make money? How does that affect the way we should do things in treasury?’”
Mark Hirst, Group Treasurer, Dr. Martens PLC.
2. Break out of the silo
“Treasury can add a lot of strategic value, but in many organisations, treasury is treated like a siloed function. My advice for anyone who’s starting their career within treasury is to make sure they break that silo.
“First, this means understanding the nuances of all verticals within treasury, be it liquidity, FX management, payments, capital structures or risk management. Working knowledge of all these intertwined verticals is critical for your success and once you understand the nuances of treasury, then try to understand how treasury impacts and supports the business. Be the strategic partner to the business, rather than being a siloed function.
“Likewise, treasurers need to develop connections with people across the organisation, so having the right interpersonal skills is extremely important.”
Aditi Agarwal, Global Treasury Operations Leader and Chief of Staff, GE HealthCare
3. Keep an open mind
“Many of us fell into treasury by accident, and that’s perfectly fine. My advice to anyone starting out is: keep an open mind! You might begin in accounting, banking or another field entirely and discover treasury later, like I did.
“What matters is building the right skill set early on. Communication, data analysis, and tech literacy (from Excel to AI) are no longer optional, they’re essential to succeed and thrive in today’s treasury world. The role has become strategic, tech-enabled and deeply connected to the business.
“I also encourage young professionals to take advantage of platforms like LinkedIn and mentoring programmes. When I was starting out, access to senior people felt impossible. Today, it’s much easier to connect, ask and learn. That’s why I joined a programme in Greece, 100mentors, to help students and young professionals explore paths in treasury they might never have considered, and to open the door I wish I had access to earlier.”
Marianna Polykrati, Group Treasurer, AVRAMAR
4. Build your knowledge
“For anyone starting out, take every opportunity to build your knowledge.
“If you get the chance, study for the ACT exams. There are so many other resources out there now (training courses, webinars , seminars, networking events to name a few) offered by the ACT, banks, ratings agencies, etc, many of them free and not time intensive. Also talk to people, inside and outside of your business. Understand how treasury fits into your business, where it can be of use but also who can help treasury.
“In addition to the standard technical treasury skills, I would recommend that you educate yourself about AI. It could be hugely helpful to treasury but also significantly increase the risks that we manage.”
Stuart Fitzsimmons, Treasury Manager, Whitbread
5. Seek a sponsor
“Seek a mentor and a sponsor! A mentor is more commonly known and accepted by the industry, however, not many seek out a sponsor, and this person should be someone who is willing to fight for you behind closed doors as a key decision maker. A sponsor can help drive your career development if they are convinced of your potential and agree to back you.
“Be open to learning – always look out for opportunities to learn something new and or different! Treasury covers a broad range of areas and skills, so the more you can ‘tick’ off the list in your early career, the stronger your armoury will be to sustain you and differentiate you from the rest in later years!
“Invest time in developing communications skills and learning about technology – this can be typically achieved by attending conferences, webinars, vendor/bank events on the latest technology solutions, and signing up for courses.”
Royston Da Costa, Assistant Treasurer, Ferguson
6. Pursue constant training
“Constant training on the right aspects of treasury, including ongoing updates, is non-negotiable. This can include visiting banks, special economic zones (SEZs) and fund houses to get insights which are not seen on fancy presentations.
“Learning through games can also be fun. For example, last year I had a swimming competition for non-swimmers in my team, just to prove the point that ‘you can still do it in spite of being scared and uncomfortable.’ And do not hesitate to go back to (management) school whenever needed.
“In addition, see everything objectively and stay focused on your vision and your objectives. Welcome to treasury where stories don’t work – metrics do.”
Amit Baraskar, Vice President and Head – Treasury, Thomas Cook (India) Ltd
